Drug Court in New Jersey

Middlesex County Drug Court Lawyer

Drug Court is a diversionary program that is designed to combat drug and alcohol abuse rather than impose incarceration for those who commit criminal offenses because of addiction. The Middlesex County Drug Court is a collaboration between the judiciary and drug treatment professionals whose objective is to afford recovery through strict rules and guidelines. If you have been charged with distribution of CDS or another serious offense that exposes you to a state prison term, you should consider applying for drug court. The attorneys in the New Brunswick Office of The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall are highly knowledgeable in what it takes to be admitted into drug court. A lawyer on our staff is prepared to assist you in this process immediately by calling 732-246-7126.

What is Drug Court?

Drug Court and Pre-Trial Intervention are the two main diversionary programs in New Jersey at the Superior Court level. Drug Court is essentially a non-adversarial process whereby the State and the defense attorney work together to provide assistance to a non-violent drug addicted offender. A defendant may be eligible for drug court under N.J.S.A. 2C:35-14 (Special Probation for prison-bound offenders) or N.J.S.A. 2C:45-1 (Ordinary Probation) according to the guidelines of the Drug Court Manual. The Drug Court probationary period requires intensive probation supervision, including frequent and random urine testing, along with employment and other counseling and drug treatment programs.

Drug Court has been an extremely successful program in New Jersey in terms of rehabilitating drug addicted non-violent offenders. For example, of the one hundred and one (101) Monmouth County Drug Court graduates prior to January 29, 2009, only 1 was sent to State prison for a new offense after completing the program. Thirty four (34) were employed when they entered the drug court program and ninety five (95) were employed by the end of the program. Only 12% of the offenders had medical benefits when they started the drug program while 70% had benefits upon completion. Further, only 9% of the offenders had a valid driver’s license upon entering the program. Upon graduation from the program, 70% had received a license or restored their driving privileges.

This program is also extremely helpful to the State by creating productive members of society while also alleviating some of the drug problems in New Jersey. For example, incarceration of one (1) adult defendant for a period of one year costs the state $37,000. The first year of drug court, on the other hand, costs the State between $5,400 and $19,500 depending on the type of treatment. As you can see, this program is beneficial to both the State and the defendant and is a positive result for clients with drug addiction problems.

New Brunswick NJ Drug Court Defense Attorneys

The Middlesex Vicinage of the New Jersey Superior Court is located in New Brunswick. The attorneys at our firm operate from an office located directly across from the courthouse so we are well positioned to assist you in obtaining admission into drug court. For assistance in defending your charge or seeking relief from a term of imprisonment throughout drug court, contact us anytime 24/7 for a free consultation at 732-246-7126.